"Prayer Strategy"
Our Prayer:
Heavenly Father, Your warrior prepares for battle. Today I claim victory over Satan by putting on the whole armor of God! I put on the girdle of truth! May I stand firm in the truth of Your Word so I will not be a victim of Satan's lies. I put on the breastplate of righteousness! May it guard my heart from evil so I will remain pure and holy, protected under the blood of Jesus Christ. I put on the shoes of peace! May I stand firm in the Good News of the Gospel so Your peace will shine through me and be a light to all I encounter. I take the shield of faith! May I be ready for Satan's fiery darts of doubt, denial, and deceit so I will not be vulnerable to spiritual defeat. I take the Sword of the Spirit! May the two-edged sword of Your Word be ready in my hands so I can expose the tempting words of Satan. By faith we warriors have put on the whole armor of God! We are prepared to live this day, this week in spiritual victory! In Jesus' name, AMEN.
Our Scripture: Let's Read: Ephesians 6:10-18
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.
Praying in the Spirit is mentioned three times in Scripture. First Corinthians 14:15 says, "So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind." Ephesians 6:18 says, "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." Jude 20 says, "But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit." So, what exactly does it mean to pray in the Spirit?
The Greek word translated "pray in" can have several different meanings. It can mean "by means of," "with the help of," "in the sphere of," and "in connection to." Praying in the Spirit does not refer to the words we are saying. Rather, it refers to how we are praying. Praying in the Spirit is praying according to the Spirit's leading. It is praying for things the Spirit leads us to pray for. Romans 8:26 tells us, "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express."
Some, based on 1 Corinthians 14:15, equate praying in the Spirit with praying in tongues. Discussing the gift of tongues, Paul mentions "pray with my spirit." First Corinthians 14:14 states that when a person prays in tongues, he does not know what he is saying, since it is spoken in a language he does not know. Further, no one else can understand what is being said, unless there is an interpreter (1 Corinthians 14:27-28). In Ephesians 6:18, Paul instructs us to "pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests." How are we to pray with all kinds of prayers and requests and pray for the saints, if no one, including the person praying, understands what is being said? Therefore, praying in the Spirit should be understood as praying in the power of the Spirit, by the leading of the Spirit, and according to His will, not as praying in tongues.
Let's look at some old material from our other prayer studies now: Here we have five prayers.
1). Perpetual Prayer (Ephesians 6:18)
Never ceasing; continuing forever in future time; destined to be eternal; as a perpetual covenant; a perpetual statute. It's literally true with respect to the decrees of the Supreme Being.
2). Petitionary Prayer (Ephesians 6:18)
Petitionary Prayer as the name suggests, is a petition to God to affect the outcome of a situation. Intercessory prayer could fall under petitionary prayer but intercessory prayer, in particular, are the prayers of support and God's presence for a person or situation. Whereas petitionary prayer has a specific end in view, a changed outcome.
3). Powerful Prayer (Ephesians 6:18)
Remember Elijah whose powerful prayer resulted in a phenomenal change in the course of nature also had this experience: "Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper." (1 Kings 19:11-12); a powerful prayer comes from the heart, and having faith in God.
4). Perseverant Prayer (Ephesians 6:18)
Continue steadfastly in prayer. Please don't give up the diligence that you showed during prayer week. There is so much power to be had in persevering prayer. Don't forget the "impudent friend" of (Luke 11:8) and don't forget the parable Jesus told to the effect that we "ought always to pray and not lose heart" (Luke 18:1-8). Perseverance is the great test of genuineness in the Christian life. I praise God that some of you have persevered in prayer 60, 70, or 80 years! O, let us be a praying church, and let's be saturated with prayers to the Lord of the harvest. Won't it be great to say in the end, "I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:7).
5). Purposeful Prayer (Ephesians 6:18)
The word literally means straight. God sees us as straight, or righteous, when we are covered in Christ's blood. We can read that verse another way. "The purposeful prayer of a righteous man has power." When we add purpose and intent to our prayer life, we infuse those prayers with God-given power.
PRAY:
P-Praise:
Gratitude to God for who He is and what He's already done should thread throughout every prayer, because ultimately His name and His fame are the only reasons any of this matters.
R-Repentance:
Expect prayer to expose where you're still resisting Him-not only resisting His commands, but resisting the manifold blessings and benefits He gives to those who follow. Line your strategies with repentance; the courage to trust, and turn, and walk His way.
A-Asking:
Make your requests known. Be personal and specific. Write down details of your own issues and difficulties as they relate to the broader issue we discussed in that week of study, as well as how you perhaps see the enemy's hand at work in them or where you suspect he might be aiming next.
Y-Yes:
"All of God's promises," the Bible says, "have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding "Yes!" (2 Corinthians 1:20, NLT). You may not understand everything that is happening in your life right now, but any possible explanation pales in comparison to what you do know because of your faith in God's goodness and assurance. So allow your prayer to be accentuated with His own words from Scripture, His promises to you that correspond to your need. There is nothing more powerful than praying God's own Word. Because even at the mention of His name, the enemy buckles in certain defeat!
PRAYING ALWAYS!
Prayer is the energy that we take into battle. We cannot fight against the devil in our own strength. "Praying always" doesn't mean "always saying prayers" – it means "always stay in communion with God!" (keep the receiver off the hook!) That way you'll be ready for any surprise attack from the devil.
Don't just focus on yourself and your needs. Prayer for others can bring victory into your life! Job 42:10 And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.
Each Week Study "Overcomers" by Dr. David Jeremiah
Week # 8 "Prayer Overcomes All Foes"
Week # Nuggets: Suit up Cards
Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:17
AKA: The Power source
Characteristic: Perseverance
Usage: Praying on the Armor of God
Armor of Location: All-encompassing
Arch Enemy: All foes
Enemies: Busyness, Stress, Discouragement, Guilt.
Charge: Prayer is the channel God uses so that His strength can flow into our lives.
Questions:
1). What is prayer?
2). What position should we pray?
3). Describe the Greek word translated "pray in."
4). What is praying in the Spirit?
5). What is the difference in praying in the Spirit and praying in tonques?
6). Explain perpetual prayer.
7). Explain petitionary prayer
8). Explain powerful prayer
9). Explain perseverant prayer
10). Explain purposeful prayer
11). What do praise has to do with prayer?
12). Is repentance a prayer? Explain.
13). Making your request known is what?
14). Whose name should we mention in our prayers, and why?
15). Prayer overcomes all______.
16). This armor of location is what? Explain.
17). What do this lesson call busyness, stress, discouragement, and quilt?
18). Prayer is the _____ God uses so His _____ can _____ into our _____.
19). Read Ephesians 6:18
20). Read Jude 20
21). Read 1 Corinthians 14:15, 27-28.
Remember This. . . .(Isaiah 54:17)
"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord."
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